Washington: Making a strong pitch for his re-election campaign in the key State of Florida, US President Barack Obama has said he was running for election to complete his unfinished tasks that include selling of American goods around the world.
"I want to sell goods around the world made in America. That's what I believe in. That's why I'm running for a second term," Obama said yesterday in his campaign speech in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"One of the ways we can do it is instead of giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas, let's give tax breaks to companies that are investing here in the United States and hiring American workers," he said.
Obama said he running because after a decade of war, it's time to do some nation-building here at home.
"America is safer and more respected because of the unbelievable service of our troops. And because of their efforts, we ended the war in Iraq, as I promised," he said amidst applause.
"We've been able to refocus on al Qaeda and those who caused 9/11, and we have decimated their leadership and taken out bin Laden. We've been able to set a timeline to end the war in Afghanistan," he said.
"We have strengthened our alliances and stood with countries that shared our values. I know a lot of people in this community care about the state of Israel and we are heartbroken -- and it's an important time to talk about this because of these barbaric attacks that happened in Bulgaria -- young people being killed because of this ruthless terrorist attack," Obama said.
"I want everybody here to know, under my administration, we haven't just preserved the unbreakable bond with Israel; we have strengthened it," said the US President.
"We've stood by Israel's side in the face of criticism. Our military and intelligence cooperation has never been closer. And obviously this is a moment of great uncertainty in the Middle East given what's happening in Syria and what's happening in other places," he said.
"So now is the time to make sure that we are doing everything we can to protect Israel's security. I want you to know that that's something that should transcend party. That's not a Republican or a Democratic issue. That is an issue of how we work with one of our closest allies in the world that shares our values and believes in democracy," Obama said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, July 20, 2012, 13:53